Blade-sharpener.



R,- w. BANKS, 1R,

BLADE SHARPENER.

APPLlCC-N FILED APR. 2 5. 19H3L 1,145,653. Patent@ .my 6,1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.'

WIT/@153353 I Y /Wslvro 'Afro/Mer ROBERT W. BANKS, J'Rl, 0F GULFPOR'I', MISSISSIPPI.

BLADE-SHARP'ENER.

Speccation of Letters Patent.

Patented July 6, 1915.

Application led April 26, 1913. Serial No. 763,884.

To all whom it may concern.' l

Be it known that I, ROBERT W. BANKS, J r., a citizen of the United States, residing at Gulfport, in the county of Harrison and State of Mississippi, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Blade- Sharpeners, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to blade Sharpeners, particularly adapted for the sharpening of razor blades. I

One object of the invention is to provide means whereby theparts may beadjusted so that the blade can be reversed to'facilitate either honing or stropping. I

' A second -object is to provide means whereby the blade upon reversal, may be moved into engagement with the Sharpener member without shock such as would tend to cause injury to the blade as by nicking thereof.

A *third object is to provide means for the reversal of the blade utilizing a gear meni-` ber and a reversing member movable. to bring opposite faces or walls intov engagement with the gear member. p

A fourth object is to provide means i whereby the blade may be carried by and actuated through the movement of a plurality of slidable carriages or frames movable as a unit at times and movable independently of each other at times.

-A-ffth object is to Aprovide a construction wherein a relatively narrow Sharpener member preferably arranged diagonally with respect' to the edge of the blade, may be employed.

Other objects of the invention are to generally improve andy simplify the construction of a device of this kind, due regard 'having been given tocost of manufacture and the durability of the parts when used.

4The preferred form of the present invention, is described hereinafter and illustrated in accompanying drawings.

.In said drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machine; Fig. 2 is a plan view;

Fig. 3 is an end view; Fig. 4 is a perspective .View of one of the slidable frames or members employed; Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the other slidable member or frame em-v ployed; Fig. @i is a side elevation of one of the guard plates employed; and Fig. 7 illustrates in side elevation and perspective, one

form of Sharpener member whichmay be used. i

Like reference characters designateflike or similar parts throughout the yseveral views of the drawings.

Referring specifically to the drawings, a main fra-me Vis provided consisting essentially of the side walls or members 1 joined by the end walls or members 2. Mounted in the end walls 2 intermediate the side walls l, are suitable rods or rails 3 shown in the form of bolts having at opposite ends screw threaded shanks which pass lthrough the end walls and beyond the same receive nuts 4. These rods 3 pass through openings 5 provided .in lugs 6 of'a slidable carriage generally designated 7 and thus serve to slidingly mount said carriage longitudinally of' said rods. The lugs 6 below the rails' 3 are surrounded by coil springs 8 which bear against the rails and portions of the slidable carriage and serve to create some degree of friction between the rods and walls at open#y ings 5, in order to maintain the parts supported by the carriage in proper position and prevent too loose movement of the carria-ge. This carriage member 7 is provided with sid.:- plates 9 having provided at their upper ends, openings or apertures 10.

Numeral 11 generally designates a second slidab.l member which is provided with side walls 12 and 13, each having therein4 an elongated slot or opening 1l. This slidable member 11 `is supported from the carriage' or slidable member 7 by means of suitable lugs shown in the form of set screws l5, and which are adapted to pass through the slots 11 and enter screw threaded openings in the walls 9, thus serving to fasten the second slidable member tothe carriage. It is to be noted that a pair of lugs 15 is provided for each opening 14 and that the distance from the centers thereof is less than the length of the slot so that the second slidable -member is capable of a limited sliding movement relative to the carriage and independently thereof.

In the openings 10, is rotatably mounted a shaft- '16 of a blade carrier device. This shaft also extends through an elongated opening 17 in the wall 13. On the outer face of wall 13 is slidably and adjustably mounted a reversing plate member 1S by means of lugsin the form of set screws 19, located at ioo opposite ends of the plate and passing through elongated slots 20 thereof and fastemng to the wall 13. A substantially rec' tangular opening opposite the slot 1T, is provided in the plate 18, and the opposed longitudinal walls thereof at different times are adapted to be brought. into driving relation with a gear member 21 mounted on the shaft 16. This gear member as shown` is in the form of a' gear wheel having teeth, and accordingly the longitudinal edges or walls of the rectangular slot of plate 18, are serrated or toothed at 22 and 23 to provide racks. It will be noted that the oblong opening is of such width that when the teeth of gear wheel 21 mesh with the teeth of either of the racks,

the teeth of the other rack are disengaged. Suitable means is provided so that the reversing plate may be shifted to cause the proper or desired rack :22 and 23 to mesh with the gear 21. This means as shown. c onsists of an eccentric 21 extending through an elongated' slot :25 of the plate. and having thereon a finger or grip piece Q6. In addition to the shaft 16, the blade carrier device may comprise a suitable blade holder QT and an arm 28 rigid with shaft 16 and having an offset portion or lug 29 thereon.

As is obvious, the blade holder may be of any suitable construction` but as shown. comprises clasp leaves 30 between which the blade such as 31, is gripped. These clasp leaves are supported from shaft 16 so as to rotate therewith, and are yieldingly held together by means of suitable spring clips 32 which engagethe shaft 16. Each of the clasp leaves is provided with a lug and theselugs extend on opposite sides of the arm 28. Also each clasp leaf is provided with a finger piece 31, whereby when both of said nger pieces are moved toward each other, the clasp leaves may be spread apart for the removal'or reception of a blade such as 31.

Extending obliquely across the machine or frame. and suitably fastened `as to the side plates 1. is a rest plate 3:5 having on each longitudinal edge' thereof, upstanding lugs or clips 136. Upon this plate 35 is adapted to rest, a Sharpener member generally designated 37. This Sharpener member "it will be noted, is of very narrow width and it is especially desirable to employ such a narrow one. inasmuch as I have found that better results can be obtained when it is used. than when a wider one is employed. In actual use, I have found that this sharpener member should not be more than three eighths of an inch in width. Preferably this sharpener member should have a hone section 3S such as stone or other abrasive material and a strop section 39 such as leather. This sharpener member is shown as a unit, and the hone and strop are connected together in any suitable manner.

To either of the side.l plates l may be fastened at opposite ends. guard plates gener.V ally designated 10 which are adjustably securedto theplates by means of Abolts -11 extending therethrough and through elongatedslots .-12 of the guard plates. One end of eachfplate is mounted on a line taken transversely of the frame adjacent th'e ends of the Sharpener member. Each guard plateV angles to the handle 41 is suitably fastened to the second slidable carriage 11.

. Preparatory to use, according to whether or not lthe razor or other blade 31 is to be honed or stropped, the proper rack 2'2 or 23 is brought into driving relation with the wheel 21 through the inter-meshing of the teeth of said parts. As is well known in the art, the blade is moved in the opposite direction for stropping to that in which itis moved for honing. Y Through the adjustment of the reversing plate 1S to bring the proper rac-k into driving relation with the wheel 21.

the proper direction of movement can be provided for. As stated, this plate 1S is shifted through the manual adjustment of eccentric 21, and in its movement the plate is guided by the lugs 19 at openings 20.

j The adjustment aforesaid having been attained, .and fthe blade 31 clasped by the leaves 30, thel handles or grips -11 and 15 are engaged by separate hands andv moved relatively, which causesnthe blade 31-to move upon the sharpening member and upon either the hone or strop, according to which side thereof is uppermost. Vll'hen the carriage T and slidable member 11 are moved, the 'engagement of the blade 31 with the sharpening member of course, prevents rotation of the gear 21. However, when the approximate extreme of the movement of this carriage and slidable member at either end of the machine, has been reached, the handles 11 and t5 are moved in the proper direction so as tol `cause the slidable member 11 to move in the opposite direction, which causes the proper rack to shift the gear wheel 21 and accordingly partially rota-te and reverse the blade 31. versing movement. the slidable member 11 moves independently of the slidable carriage 7. the latter remaining stationary until the blade 31 on its opposite edge engages the Sharpener member. This carriage is' enabled t-o remain stationary in this manner, due to the frictional engagement of the During this rewalls of openings 5 with the rails 3, in-

creased by the provision of the springs 8 as descrlbed. The action of the several parts upon the movement of the handles relatively, is automatic as will be realized. Upon-theblade 31, descending, the Vlug 29 engages the upper edge of the guard mempber 40, or the edge of the blade engages the sharpening member through the .adjustment what I claim as new and desire to' sharpening member. In this Way, shocks ofthe blade against the sharpening member and consequent nicking of the blade, is avoided. After'lug 29 has thus engaged the proper guard 40, the slidable members are moved in`the reverse direction and said lug 29 moves on the deiiected face 43, and gradually and without -shock onto the sharp.-

enmg member. This action is true of course, upon reversal of the blade at either end of the machine. It might also be stated thatprior to operation the guards 40 should be inproper relation to the sharpening nember, according to the Width or size of the blade to be sharpened. In order to accommodate the device for the sha en-V 'ing of blades of different sizes or Widths, the

guard members 42 may be adjusted longitudlnally of the frame and relatively to the iu rails, a blade-carrying device movable re atively to said.` member having a plurality of slidable members, one'of said members` mounted on said rails, means to maintain said One slidable member in frictional engagement with said rails,v said one slidable member .having Walls each having a projection thereon,"the otherslidable member provided with walls having elongated slots in which said projections enter, said projection and slot gilinctionsl permitting movement of one of drslidable members relatively .to the a plate adjusfably mounted@ me "f said latter walls, a shaft supported by one of said slidable members, a blade'holder carried. by saidshaft, a gear wheel on said shaft, said plate provided with o posite racks, guide means for said plate, an anec- 'centric opera-ble to shift lsaid plate to selectively bring a selected one of said racks into engagement with said gear Wheel.

2. In an apparatus of the class described a frame including supporting rods, a sharpenin member carried by said frame and extending above said, rods, acarriage carried by said frame and comprising a plurality'of slidable members, one of said members being provided with perforated ears slidably mounted upon said rods and with end Walls positioned outside said frame, means carried by said ears for causingfrictionallbinding between said ears and rods, the other of said slidable members comprising a plate extending beneath vsaid first mentioned member and having end Walls extending outside the WallsV of said first-mentioned member and provided with transversely extending slots, means passing through said slots to slidably connect said members, al rack adjustably connected with said second-mentioned sliding member and provided With upper and lower rows of teeth, a rocker shaft carried by said first-mentioned sliding member, a

gear Wheel carried by said shaft for engagement with the teeth of said rack, means for adjusting the position of said rack to bring a selected set Vof teeth in engagement with 4said gear Wheel, and a blade-holding element carried by said rocker shaft.

3. In an apparatus of the character described, a track, a sharpening member carried by said track, and acarriage carried by said track, and comprising an inner member slidablyconnected with said track, a slidablymounted outer member engaging said inner member and having independent ,sliding movement longitudinally of said track with respect to said inner member, a rocker shaft carried by fone of said members,

a pinion carried by said-rocker-shaft, a rack .adjustably carried by the second member and vprovidedfvvith teeth positioned upon opposite sides of said pinion, means for moving said rack to an adjusted position to bring a selected set of teeth into engagement With said pinion, and blade holding means carried by said rocker-shaft.

4. In a device of the character described a track, a sharpening member carried thereby, and a carriage carried by .said trackand comprising an inner member slidably -connected with said track, an outer member slidably connected with said inner member, a `rocker-shaft carried'l by said inner member, a pinion carried by said shaft, a rack adjustably carried by said' outer member and provided with" teeth positioned upon opposite sides of said pinion whereby a selected set of teeth may be brought into engagement with said pinion, and a blade holder carried by said shaft.

5. In a device of the character described a track, and a carriage slidably mounted pon said track andk comprising an ,inner member, an outerqmember slidably mount- -ed With respect to (said inner member, a

rocker-shaft carried by one of said members,-a pinionl carried by said shaft, a rack adjustably carried by the other of said members and provided with sets of teethl Aso positioned upon opposie sides of said pinion, means tor moving said rack to bring a selected set of teeth inio engagement with said pinion, and a blade holder carriedby said shaft.

G. In a device of the character described a track, a sharpener holder carried by said track` and a carriage slidabliY connected with said track and comprising a supporting member, a slidably mounted actuating member engaging said supporting member, a rocker-shaft carried by said supporting member, blade holding means carried by said rocker-shaftl a pinion carried ROBERT IV. BANKS, JR. i Yitnessest i J. O. GILLESPIE, A M. ODENEAL. 

